Wal-Mart politics jar House race

The blockbuster allegations of bribery in Wal-Mart's Mexico operations, already a public relations nightmare for the company, just got a little worse: the issue has now entered the political realm.

Two senior Democratic congressmen, Henry Waxman and Elijah Cummings, have announced their intent to launch a probe into the allegations. But that's only part of the company's problem.

The siting of a Wal-Mart within New York City limits was already a contentious point in local politics; not long after the bribery story was published in the New York Times, the pols running in New York's 6th Congressional District rushed to take advantage of the opportunity.

Two of the four Democrats running in NY-6 – Assemblywoman Grace Meng and Assemblyman Rory Lancman – were endorsed by two related unions that have been leading the charge against Wal-Mart’s effort to build a store in NYC.

Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW is backing Lancman, who has been outspoken in his opposition to Wal-Mart.

(UPDATE: To be clear, RWDSU itself, not just the local, has also endorsed Lancman. And RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum emailed: “We welcome everyone to the Wal-Mart Free NYC fight. Some people like Rory Lancman have been there for years, others have to be reminded – but all are welcome”).

UFCW Local 1500 is backing Meng.

When he announced the endorsement, the union’s president, Bruce Both, said Meng had “pledged her support for our Union’s effort to hold Walmart accountable for reckless corporate policies that effect the worker families, small business owners, and women that live in the 6th Congressional,” adding: “Our Union believes that Grace will help unify an ethnically diverse community around the most pressing issue facing our Unions membership: keeping New York City Walmart free.”

Yesterday, Lancman took to Twitter to decry Wal-Mart, writing: “Whether it’s through politically motivated ‘philanthropy,’ campaign contributions or outright bribes, NYC is not for sale.”

With no candidate in the heavily Democratic district defending the retail giant, the allegations aren't going to drive the outcome of the primary. Still, as long as they are surfacing in congressional races, Wal-Mart is the big loser.